Posted by USA
a resident of Old Mountain View
on Jun 26, 2009 at 3:11 pmUSA is a registered user.

"Baker then allegedly got up ... from his wheelchair" Wow! It is a miracle. He can walk again.

This is the same crap I had seen for years in San Francisco. Not only are we getting more of these people in Mtn. View, they are also becoming an institution. They are in the same spots day after day for years. They know where the good money is. They know who's buttons they can push and how to push them to get donations.

There is the well dressed black businessman at Chef Chus who just needs a few bucks for gas to get home. There is the guy in the wheelchair at Blossom Valley. There is the young, tanned guy at Costco. They are all able bodied and should be capable of supporting themselves. Yes, there are some people out there with real mental issues that need our support, but most of them are just plain bums.

They are going to stay there as long as you feel sorry for them and give them money. Stop giving them money, and they will just head down the road looking for new suckers. The Walgreens on Grant just put up a sign telling patrons to donate to organizations, not individuals.

Posted by Big Show
a resident of Old Mountain View
on Jun 26, 2009 at 6:01 pm

Dinner and a show all in one. I saw the same guy being handcuffed 2 weeks ago in the intersection of San Antonio and El Camino. As a matter of fact, there was a panhandler at all four lights with cardboard signs. One large Black fellow was being aggressive, yelling at some poor lady in a Lexus. My hats off to MV Police! They ran them off. These guys are scamming for booze money. Don't give them any!